Retainers Specialist - Orthodontist | Fountain Valley Huntington Beach

Retainer options: Clearbow retainer (left) and Hawley retainer (right)

Any parent with a child who has had braces knows that getting them to wear their retainer as instructed — and keep it out of the cafeteria trash can at school — can be challenging. But retainers, which are mostly used during the final phase of orthodontic treatment, are an essential for keeping newly-straightened teeth in place.

At The OrthoBee Orthodontics in Fountain Valley next door to Huntington Beach, California, board certified orthodontist Dr. Chi H. Bui offers fitting and molding services, with lifetime adjustments included, in her treatment. We offer all different types of retainers, from clear retainers (also known as Essix), metal retainers (Hawley retainers), hybrid retainers (Clearbow retainers), to bonded retainers. Just like your active treatment is tailored to you, we help you determine the best retainer for your individual needs. Dr. Bui serves patients from communities throughout Orange County.

When your teeth have been straightened, and your bite has been properly aligned, it’s time for your braces to come off. However, treatment doesn’t end there. Your teeth will be relatively unstable for a certain period of time following the removal of your braces because the ligament fiber attachments from the roots of your teeth to the bone surrounding your teeth have been stretched and moved during the braces. These fibers will begin to pull your teeth back into their original position if you don’t do something to retain their new position. That’s where retainers come into play; they help to maintain the new alignment of your teeth until they’re stable once again.

Dr. Bui offers several choices for retention, from removable to fixed retainers. Just like treatment options, there are many aesthetic retainer choices that are virtually invisible. Other than the Invisalign-like retainer, there is also a newer, clear version of the traditional Hawley wire retainer. Before your treatment is completed, we will discuss the best option for you.

Most of our patients receive their retainers the same day or within a week after their braces are removed. Dr. Bui takes an impression of your new bite so your retainer can be custom-made in a lab. When you receive your retainer, she may need to perform some adjustment of the plastic or wires to make sure it fits properly. Although any tooth movement is usually insignificant during this time, your retainer can help re-establish proper alignment if there’s been any minor shifting.

It’s very important that you do start wearing a retainer immediately after the braces are removed. Waiting any longer increases the risk that your teeth will shift more substantially and that your retainer won’t fit properly.

The main goal of wearing a retainer is to give the ligament fiber attachments of your teeth time to reorganize and reestablish stability. Although the amount of time it takes for this to happen varies among individuals, most patients are advised to wear a retainer full time for the first six months following the removal of braces.

Because every patient has differing amounts of post-treatment tooth movement, the exact amount of time that you’ll need to wear your retainer all day long as well as through the night may be anywhere in the range of six to nine months. After that, it’s usually safe to wear your retainer only at night. Following Dr. Bui’s specific instructions will help you keep the beautiful smile that your braces gave you.